


A Gift of Friendship

by mousecookie



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Eiselcross is very chilly, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, just wizards, no plot to speak of, set post c2e117, sfw despite what the summary may imply, there is only Victorian-level scandal here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27691565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousecookie/pseuds/mousecookie
Summary: “You are… giving me undergarments?” Caleb asked skeptically, eyeing the thin, silky-soft undershirt.“It’s enchanted,” Essek returned, as though that was some kind of contradiction.-(In which Caleb is canonically cold, Essek is canonically fancy, and both of them are Looking Respectfully.)
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 39
Kudos: 341





	A Gift of Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this silly thing as a warm-up while working on another project. For the sake of keeping this light-hearted, I've decided to ignore that episode 117 closed with Caleb being an angsty mess (bless my trash wizard son).

“You are… giving me undergarments?” Caleb asked skeptically, eyeing the thin, silky-soft undershirt. 

“It’s enchanted,” Essek returned, as though that was some kind of contradiction. Affront and embarrassment warred on his features.

“You are giving me _enchanted_ undergarments,” Caleb concluded, now with even more questions wrinkling his brow. “Ah...? I am flattered, of course--”

“It is enchanted against the _cold_ ,” Essek stressed, now a full shade of purple darker.

“Oh! I see.” Now that Caleb was looking, he could see tiny arcane symbols embroidered in in the undershirt. The thread was nearly the same color as the cloth, easy to miss at a first glance.

Essek cleared his throat and fussed with some papers on his desk. Like everything in the weather-worn Vurmas Outpost, the heavy furniture had clearly seen better days. “I am not well-suited for these northern climes, and resources are scarce here. I had several of these undershirts made before I left Rosohna. I find everything a great deal more bearable when there is a layer of heat directly next to my skin. You looked to be in a similar dilemma with the temperature, so, here we are. I thought perhaps you might find use of one. A wizard whose hands are shaking from cold may make some mistake in his casting, yes? Consider this a precaution. From… an ally.” 

“That is generous,” Caleb said, though he internally frowned at the word _ally._ “The material is very fine. Pride silk, _ja_? Is that part of the spellwork?” 

“No,” Essek said mildly. “Merely a nonmagical advantage. Unlike ordinary silk, it retains heat even when damp. It is also more comfortable than wool. Now, I believe there are still some preparations to be made for your departure, no? We should probably rejoin the others?”

“I would like to put this on, actually, before we go,” Caleb said.

Essek froze, then shifted in his chair, which creaked loudly. His ears twitched. And - was he blushing again? Yes, he was. Caleb was getting better at spotting it.

“Ah- that is- here? Are you sure--?” Essek stammered. It was rather endearing.

“ _Ja_ , if you do not mind,” Caleb said easily. “This is likely going to be the warmest room there is before we’re out in the snow again. Don’t fear for my modesty. Living on the road has long since cured me of any embarrassment.”

“Ah…” Essek’s brain seemed to have shorted out. He licked his lips. “Ah… then, please, feel free. I am just going to-- tidy up here-- yes.” he hurriedly stood and turned away. His hands hovered over an immaculately organized table of books and papers. There was nothing to tidy.

Not wasting time, because it really _was_ cold, Caleb quickly began shucking his upper layers and draping them one after the other on the back of his chair. Out of curiosity, he watched Essek as he did so. Essek’s shoulders were slightly hunched. His elegant hands picked up and put down several books. Caleb peered at his reflection in the office’s small window, but saw that Essek’s eyes were firmly looking _down_.

 _Respectful, just as he claimed,_ Caleb mused with a spark of humor. _He is truthful about some things after all._ He pulled the fine undershirt over his head. It slid into place with a whisper of silk. Immediately, any chill from the room was vanquished wherever the fabric touched his skin. It felt like the shirt had been hanging in the sun for hours, soaking up heat, except the sensation didn't fade the longer he wore it. It was blissful.

“Ahh, this is _wunderbar_ ,” Caleb said emphatically, sighing in relief, “Truly.” Now that he was wearing the shirt, he could also detect a faint, clean, citrus-clove scent, reminding him of soaps from Rosohna. It was also a little shorter than his own shirts. _Float however much you like, Essek, but I will always be taller,_ he thought with a grin. He dragged his fingertips across the soft material, appreciating its softness for a second, then began methodically layering back up. "I can already tell my travels will be much improved by this."

“I’m glad to hear it,” Essek replied, still facing away. “I confess, I was surprised to see you shivering when you arrived. After all, fire is one of your specialties, no?”

Caleb paused, halfway through buttoning up his overshirt. “There is some irony there, I suppose, _ja_. The fire I control is mostly only good for combat. It is not… kind.” He resumed buttoning, the motions automatic as his mind slipped into melancholy contemplation.

“What, you have never created fire to warm yourself? Or others?” Essek asked. His frame shifted like he wanted to turn back around, but he didn’t. “You showed me when we first met that you have the precise control necessary to use a combat spell for something subtle. A cat’s paw the size of a horse is certainly a blunt tool for opening a normal-sized door, and yet you did so then.”

Caleb re-fastened his spellbook holsters, donned his light jacket, then his heavy one. “I did, I suppose. And I have made campfires, or other useful fires before. But here, it never seems to be enough. Certainly it does not help when we are trekking through the snow, or when I am out of spells.” He picked up his exorbitantly long scarf and began to re-wind it, belatedly announcing, “I am, ah, decent again.”

Essek fiddled needlessly with one last stack of papers before turning around. His gaze swept over Caleb. His scrutiny was quick, but also intense enough that Caleb felt like he was wearing far less than his full winter-wear. Was Essek imagining what his silky shirt looked like on Caleb, under all these layers? For all Caleb’s talk of not being self-conscious, he found himself fighting his own blush.

“Well, in that case, I hope the garment serves you well,” Essek said at last, eyes lingering on Caleb's face.

“Thank you, again,” Caleb replied.

They looked at each other for a long moment. Then, they spoke simultaneously.

“We should go back--”

“It’s probably time to--”

Essek huffed a small laugh, and Caleb rubbed the back of his neck.

“ _Ja,_ ” Caleb said. “We probably should.”

Neither of them moved.

“You know, this shirt is not a 'precaution from an ally',” Caleb said abruptly, pinpointing what had been bothering him earlier.

“No?” Essek asked, looking politely concerned, though the way his fingers restlessly plucked at his coat sleeve betrayed real feelings underneath. 

“No,” Caleb said, then deliberately smiled, full of genuine warmth. “I would call it a gift from a friend, at the very least.”

He watched carefully for Essek’s reaction, and was rewarded by a flicker of surprise, followed by a tiny smile as Essek looked at the floor. _Who else has seen the Shadowhand be bashful?_ Caleb wondered, a bit smug. _Because I have, just now._

“A gift from a friend, then,” Essek agreed, looking through his lashes at Caleb. “At the very least.”

And then they left together, walking just a little closer than they had before.

**Author's Note:**

> What's dumber than wizards? Nothing! 
> 
> I do more yelling about Critical Role on tumblr- I'm [ariadne-mouse](https://ariadne-mouse.tumblr.com/).


End file.
